Surreal
by ThereWon'tBeANextTime
Summary: She always had to remind herself that it was, after all, just a dream. -SasuSaku/AU/Sakura-centric
1. Chapter 1

**Surreal**

**Prologue**

**.**

**.**

**.**

A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety, and great sadness.

A Dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.

.

.

.

_It was, after all, just a dream._

.

.

.

She sat there, chit-chatting, laughing, talking, and joking through the phone. She was happy, I could tell by just one glance.

Happy. That's a word I was once called by. Once upon a time, I was the most delighted girl in this village. I would skip happily around the streets, through the parks, around the shops. Happy.

But nothing stays the same. _Nothing_.

Because that day, that sadistic, unfortunate, sorrow-filled day, changed me completely. The once called 'mirthful' girl turned into the 'mournful' freak.

Because of that one day.

"No; I can't come over today," she said.

_"Weird dreams again?" _ I could hear him ask through the phone, from the other line.

Glancing at me for a brief second over her shoulder, she sighed heavily, lowering her voice an octave, "I am her _mother_, Daisuke. I have to take care of her when these things happen!"

"_But, baby, I really want you to come...I missed you._"

"Awww! I missed you too, honey!"

I blocked out the rest of the conversation because, seriously, that was disgusting.

Weird dream, that's what they call it. But it's not a dream, I would argue sometimes, it's a _nightmare_. A nightmare of that day. It managed to always be vivid and cruel. Recapping every single move until it's all burned into my memory. Then, I would always wake up with a scream and never sleep for an unknown amount of time. Two days, maybe even a week. I can't sleep, shouldn't sleep, _wouldn't _sleep, until it's absolutely necessary. When my eyes are surrounded by deep, black bags and my pupils become crimson, deep crimson that no one can see my emerald iris anymore; that's when I sleep. But, it is completely useless, because I never sleep anymore.

Insomniac. That's what the doctors said.

"C'mon, Sakura dear, you have to eat before you go to school," she finally put the phone down.

School; another bad nightmare.

* * *

"Move away, Freak!"

.

.

.

"Ugh! What a Freak!"

.

.

.

"Please don't pair me up with this Freak!"

.

.

.

Freak. That was my name here, in high school. Sometimes, when they, the students, are in a good mood or a bit friendly, they would call me the pink-haired forehead.

I have no friends here. No one would like to be friends with a freak like me. A girl that was so helpless and useless and can't even save an ant. A girl who always comes late and rarely does her homework. A girl who had bags under her eyes and sleep- deprived body. A girl who didn't eat, didn't talk. A girl that was skinny and unhealthy, just downright ugly. A girl with pink hair, green eyes, and a wide forehead. A girl who was emotionally unstable. A girl that the doctors said was in a very dire condition of insomnia.

No one would like to be friends with Haruno Sakura.

* * *

The sky was a shade of endless blackness. Dotted on the obsidian rug were glittery stars. The moon was full today, giving light to the late night. The cool, night breeze ruffled my pinkish hair as I sat on the top of our roof. The scene from up here was astounding and it always managed to soothe me. That's why I always come here late at nights.

Laying flat on my back, I lost myself in my thoughts, reminiscing old memories. The memories that would never die. The memories that always keep me alive and comfort me. Those memories I could never forget. Although I am sixteen now and those memories occurred when I was only ten, I still remember.

A flickering, moving light wakes me up from my reverie. I look at the sky and witness a shiny shooting star. _"The moment you see a shooting star, wish upon it. Your wish will be granted, I assure you!" _ Those were his own words, I remember. He said that to me once. Wish upon a shooting star and it will be granted. Wish for anything and everything you want. Just wish.

So I close my eyes and wish. And inside my mind I could see his smile that always lights up my world. And I remember when I was a kid and was happy and innocent. I remember when I had no care in the world.

So I wish; please no more nightmares...

* * *

_I ran. I ran so fast that my legs were burning, my bones cracking, my muscles contracting, my feet cramping. My whole body was screaming at me, scolding, that I must stop. But I couldn't. Because I could see him. I could stop them and save him. _

_People ran in front of me, trying to stop me, but to no avail. I dodged them all and ran and ran and ran._

_There was something piercing through my ears, something loud and shrill and deafening. That's when I realized that that was my own scream._

_A shot echoed against the walls. Another shot made me stop dead in my tracks. Because there in front of me by two feet, exactly two feet, he went limp and fell face first to the cold asphalt. _

_And all I could see was his smile. And all I could smell was the blood that leaked out of him. And all I could feel was the hollow, numb feeling inside of me. And all I can taste was the vomit threatening to spill out of me. And all I could hear was my scream._

_"DAD!"_

_._

_._

_._

_"What is that light?"_

_"It's coming out of his chest!"_

_What were they talking about? I open my eyes but then quickly regret it and shield my eyes because, surprisingly, there was a white, fluorescent, almost blinding light. I walk closer, trying so hard to see what it was. _

_And amidst all that brightness is a-_

_-a face?_

* * *

**A/N: **Heyy everybody! So this has been on my laptop for a long time and I was debating whether I should post it or not. But I assure you this story makes no sense at all lol. This is a SasuSaku and sorry for Sasuke not appearing in the first chapter cause this is kinda Sakura centric. This is an AU and yeah. I just hope for a SasuSaku moment anytime soon.

Also, if anyone is interested (which I know you're not lol) I have a Tumblr account now (url: emerald-and-ebony) and it sucks because I don't know how to make a good blog. anyway, hope you guys liked this gibberish piece of shit (writing).

Please leave a review :) and feel free to PM me people! I swear I don't bite!

**IMPORTANT: **I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND I DON'T OWN THE COVER PICTURE EITHER! The pic belongs to annira2002 on Deviantart.


	2. Chapter 2

**Surreal**

**Chapter One**

"Haruno? Are you paying attention?" I jolted out of my thoughts as soon as I heard my sensei's harsh voice.

Actually, I wasn't.

"Y-yeah!" I nodded timidly.

He looked at me unsurely, "Then, please continue reading the next paragraph."

My face turned a weak shade of pink that matched my hair slightly. I wasn't paying attention and now I didn't know what paragraph I was supposed to read. In fact, I didn't even know what page they were on. "I-I d-don't know where we...um s-stopped..."

The whole class laughed out loud and started pointing at me. The word freak was heard countless of times.

Kakashi-sensei looked aggravated when he scolded the class. He looked at me and uttered something, his weird, dark mask moving slightly at the process, but, fortunately, his voice got drowned by a noisy ringing sound.

Saved by the bell.

I stumbled quickly out of the class and headed towards my locker. This week was weird, to say the least. This was the very first time in a while that I slept _three_ times in one week. Daisuke, that wretched, stuck up man, didn't come once, never mind call my mom. And the weirdest thing out of all of these was that my nightmares had something new, something off about them.

Whenever I slept, the nightmares were always the same. It was always a sort of recap from that day. But recently, there was something different at the end. Something that always seemed to warm me up inside and fuel me with hope. Hope for tomorrow. Hope for something better. It enveloped me in a hug and carried me. Though before I could go anywhere or see what was behind it all, it kind of disappeared and leaved me hanging. Then, I would wake up feeling refreshed and, dare I say, a little comfortable.

That never happened before. Always, I would wake up with a scream, totally disheveled, and drenched with sweat from head to toes. But this new thing that always appeared at the end of my nightmares, turned it into a dream. This thing, this good thing; I had to find out what it was.

And I would do whatever I could to find what was inside that light.

* * *

"So you're saying that in the end of every nightmare there is a mysterious light?"

"Yes."

"And that light is a good sign because...?"

"Because now I want to sleep more and I always wake up rather refreshed."

"So any idea what that could be?"

"Not the slightest idea."

I was sitting with my therapist (I like to call her my best friend) and we were trying to figure out what that light might be.

"Well, that's certainly new. But it seems like a new hope or something and it has a good influence on you," she was about to continue but was cut off by a knock on the door.

"Excuse me you two, I'll see what's going on and come back," Shizune, my therapist, excused herself.

Gaara, my partner in the healing sessions, looked at me weirdly, "A light?"

I nodded meekly, "What if it was an angel or something." My eyes gleamed, "Or maybe it's a message of some sort!"

He looked at me, totally exasperated, "Seriously, Sak, stop watching anime and reading manga! It's affecting your mind."

Laughing slightly, I punched him on the arm.

Gaara was the best thing that ever happened to me ever since that day. He was the star in the dark sky, my light when I am lost, and my guardian. He was my best friend in this whole entire world. I considered him my brother. Too bad he was not in our school. He was the only one in this world that understood me, the only one I trust. I trust him more than my own mother.

"How are you?" I asked

He sighed, running his hand through his magenta locks, "I still have them."

Nightmares. He has them too. But his are quite different. While I couldn't save my father from being murdered, he is the one that kills his own. Not only that. He dreams that he kills his own mom (which he did, in a way, because she died while giving birth to him), his own sister and brother too. Also, one day he came crying, _sobbing_, and Shizune and I were very worried. When I asked him what happened, he wouldn't tell me at first. But then Shizune calmed him down and he confessed that he dreamt about killing me. It was a shocker and he wouldn't come near me for a whole month; afraid he would do it.

That's how much these things affect us. And that's why Shizune is working so hard to cure us.

"Don't worry. Maybe one day you will find your own light, Gaara-kun," I hugged him to show my support.

Flashing me with one of his shy smiles, he thanked me, his sea foam eyes filled with hope.

* * *

"Sakura! Dinner!" my mother called.

"Not hungry!" I called back.

I bet she sighed and then accompanied Daisuke on the table for dinner. The usual.

Tucking myself under the blankets and deeper into the pillows, I willed myself to sleep. I figured that the best way to find out what exactly did that light mean was to sleep. So here I am, trying so hard to sleep.

Closing my eyes, I began reminiscing memories. Soon enough, I was lost in the darkness.

* * *

_"It is coming out of his chest!"_

_The light enveloped me, carrying me to the unknown. Something in the distance formed. A...body?_

_The body stood tall and husky, a little muscular. The light dissipated, showing his face more clearly. He had a serene look on his face, his pale pink lips formed into a smile. His pinkish-brownish hair pointed at all places, totally disarrayed. Some of his spiky locks fell on his virid-_

_Viridian...eyes._

_Those eyes..._

His _eyes...!_

_I can recognize them anywhere! Those happy, hopeful eyes that always managed to lighten up the house with their light shade of green, a replica of mine._

_"D-daddy?" His smile grew wider and-_

_Oh my God! It's him! He's alive!_

_"Saki!" he extended his arms, gesturing for me to come over._

_I ran. I ran so fast. But this time, I am not running to save him. I am running to hug him. I jumped in his arms, wrapping my legs around him in mirth. Grasping him for my dear life, I asked, "Is this real? Or is it just a dream?"_

_He nudged my head softly, "Only if you believe, this could turn into reality."_

_I untangled myself from his arms, looking at him innocently, "What do you mean?"_

_Chuckling to himself about my obvious ignorance, he grabbed my hand softly and turned to a humongous, gigantic door. The door was white, with Japanese cherry blossom patterns on it. Lying on the center was a golden plate with "Sakura" written on it in emerald green._

_"Come; I'll show you." _

_And then he opened the door..._

* * *

**A/N: **I'M SPOILING YOU PEOPLE TWO CHAPTERS IN TWO DAYS YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL LOVELY READERS…but um sorry for not putting Sasuke in this chapter either heh heh SORRY! I PROMISE THE SAUCE WILL APPEAR BE PATIENT!

As I mentioned before, this is Sakura-centric so it's all about our little Saku-chan and her struggle in this cruel life, kay? Kay! But I swear Sasuke has a great role. Also, Gaara is only OOC with Sakura (very OOC but just bare with me please).

REVIEW YOU LOVELY SILENT READERS I'M BEGGING YOU! Thanks for reading and have a nice week.


	3. Chapter 3

**Surreal**

**Chapter Two**

"Gaara-kun! Wait for me!" I shouted out upon seeing the maroon, silky locks.

He turned around and waited patiently for me to catch up. By the time I arrived, I was panting slightly.

"Hey!" I beamed.

Leaf High and Sand High were very close from the other. Students from both schools always intersect with each other on their way home. Although the schools and students had a kind of rivalry between each other, the students remained very good friends. A good example for this friendship would have to be Gaara and me.

Gaara always accompany me to home. Thus, that explains the current predicament.

He looked at me weirdly, "Not that I am annoyed or anything, but...why exactly are you so happy? You seem different."

"What do you mean? I'm always like that!"

"No. Your smile is always _fake_. Now it's natural, as if you're truly happy," he pointed out.

Now that's another thing about Gaara; he knows me better than anyone else. By just looking at me, he could tell my mood exactly. Just by a mere glance.

I sighed, "You know me too much..."

He smirked at me smugly.

"Look, I promise I'll say everything in our next appointment with Shizune, Okay?"

His smirk vanished, "Fair enough."

We continued walking in peace, silence consuming us. Until a certain someone decided to end it, "OI! Sabaku!"

As we turned around, I saw a messy, blond blob running towards us. He came to a halt just in front of us, barely stopping himself from colliding with Gaara.

His beautiful, dark shade of blue eyes stared at him, "Are you going to come this Sunday to the park? We're going to practice a little soccer and all! It's gonna be lots of fun, 'ttebayo!"

Uzumaki Naruto. The most popular kid at our school. You'd think it would be Ino or Karin but Naruto proved that he had more friends than any of them two. And a living proof of that is the very person approaching us right now, just behind him.

With his black hair (with a navy shade to it), ebony eyes, tall, confident demeanor, and cool, nonchalant persona, he had successfully won the hearts of every girl in our school and in Gaara's school. Even I had a crush on him when I was younger. To be more specific, before the accident.

Tall, dark, and mysterious; Uchiha Sasuke is the fantasy of every teenage girl.

"Yeah. But I'll bring along someone with me," Gaara glanced at me shortly.

"Sure, as you like. I bring Hinata with me sometimes," Naruto puffed his chest in pride, "But just out of curiosity, who are you going to bring?"

Hyuuga Hinata. A sweet, little, delicate girl. She is graceful and very friendly. She is well known for her remarkable, pearl-like irises and silky soft, dark navy, long hair. She is also known as Naruto's girlfriend and the only girl who does not have a thing for Uchiha Sasuke.

"Sakura," Gaara answered.

Naruto looked confused, "Who?"

As I have said before, in my school I was named the Freak. But that's only for the common students. For the popular students, that's an entirely different story. I am unknown, anonymous to them. Invisible would be a very good word to describe myself.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and before Gaara could utter anything, which I know would have been a vicious remark because of the unintended insult directed towards me, he said, "Dobe. She is standing right in front of you."

So maybe I was wrong after all; maybe I wasn't invisible.

"Oh didn't see you there! Heh sorry! Are you from Sand High?"

Forget what I just said.

"Uh...no. I'm from Leaf!" I squeaked out. Turning to Gaara, I took hold of his hand and tugged on it, "C'mon! Mom must be worried," and I dragged Gaara away.

* * *

"Dinner is ready!" Mom yelled out.

Skipping towards the stairs happily, I slid down the railing. When I arrived at the kitchen, I sat down on the table along with Daisuke, eagerly waiting for dinner. Upon my sudden arrival, Daisuke stared at me weirdly.

"What?" I snapped, momentarily forgetting my respect for elders.

I know I am not giving the man his credit and all, but I just can't. He will never, never ever ever, be like my dad.

He was a blond for starters. He's very muscular, slim, and a little funny at times. He was handsome, very (but I would rather die than admitting that out loud). I think the reason my mom likes him so much was his apple green eyes. I guess she has a thing for green irises. But those emerald green eyes are nothing like my father's. While my dad's were filled with sweetness, kindness and caring, Daisuke's were a little cold and bitter with a mischievous glint to them. They will never be the same.

"Sakura! Don't be rude!" my mom yelled out, her dirty blonde bangs falling on her blue eyes.

Well he is the one that went all staring weirdly and all. Isn't staring rude?

"Sorry..." I mumbled, looking down.

"It's okay but...it's just I never saw you eat with us before."

Shrugging slightly, I dug into the food in front of me, "Mom?" I called for her attention, "I won't be here this Sunday, is it okay with you?"

She choked on her food and Daisuke hurried to give her a cup of water. She gulped the whole cup down, "Sure dear. Where are you going?"

"Gaara will go practice with a couple of his friends and invited me to come along."

She hesitated a little but then questioned her thoughts, "But are you okay with it? There will be a lot of boys there..." she trailed off.

"I trust Gaara and his friends. As long as I'm with Gaara, nothing would happen. I promise," I assured her.

To be honest, I _was _nervous and scared at first but then realized that these were Gaara's friends and he would never be friends with such bad thugs. Besides, Gaara is overprotective of me; he won't let an ant touch me.

* * *

We sat in silence, waiting for Shizune to finish her paperwork so we could begin our session.

"Are you sure it's okay? I wasn't really thinking when I said that...All I wanted was for them to know that you're there because they just acted like you weren't-"

"For the last time Gaara; it's totally okay, don't worry," I sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

The thing is that ever since the accident, I've been nervous around boys (or any stranger for that matter). I became very aware of my surroundings and always unsure around the men population.

But, fortunately, it's not that fatal. I mean, I can handle being around boys but I always get a little nervous. Actually, it's nothing too weird for girls my age.

However, now that I know that Gaara would be with me and those guys are all too familiar with him; it's no big deal.

I smiled warmly at Gaara as a reassurance, "Look, you'll be with me. Nothing wrong would ever happen when you're around."

He finally sighed, relaxing his once tense posture while giving me a tiny, barely even there smile, "You're right."

"Okay you guys, sorry to cut off your lovey-dovey chit-chats but I'm finally ready now," Shizune joked, closing the door after she entered. "Sakura, you said there was something really important, I believe?"

I nodded softly, muttering a quite "yeah..."

She ran a hand through her short, raven locks, taking a seat across us.

"Um...so you guys remember the light thingy, ne? Well then after I got carried away by it, a body appeared," I paused. "Coincidently, that body is my dad's and he...was alive."

Shizune stared at me and for a second there I thought that I sprouted another eye or something but then she shook her head and scribbled something on a paper.

"So he dies, a light appears out of his chest, and then he lives?" I nodded, answering her question. Gaara is really silent, more than he normally is.

"Please continue."

* * *

_"I'll show you."_

_He opened the door with a red, heart shaped key. Another blinding light soaked through the now opened door._

_I shielded my eyes, trying so hard to make out what was around us. Finally, when my eyes adjusted to the overly dramatic lights, I could make out our environment-_

_Green._

_Green and yellow and pink and blue and red and orange. _

_Iridescent, colorful, spectrum. Those words described the whole place. There were trees of every color and every single shade anyone can think of. Flowers, as colorful as the trees, decorated the soft grass with their sweet aroma. A cerulean, glistening lake was flowing in front of us, carrying numerous fish. And further away, you can see mountains with snowy peaks, and waterfalls cascading in an exhilarating show. The sun is warm and surrounded by specks of white clouds drawn perfectly on the ever-blue canvas. Animals, birds, insects; everything! There is everything here!_

_All around me, everywhere I look, I find another beauty. But they seemed to all face one gigantic, extremely gigantic, Sakura tree. Under that tree sat an eerily familiar-looking green swing. I know I've seen it before, but I just can't figure out where..._

_"I see you've taking a liking to this place," my dad broke the silence. "But that's to be expected of course," he smiled kindly, his eyes sparkling._

_I'm a bit distracted at first by the beauty of everything here, especially by the beauty of my dad's smile, but then focus on the thing at hand, "Dad, what's going on? Where are we?"_

_He chuckles softly. _

_"Honey!" I turned towards the direction of the new intruder. I was really surprised when I saw azure eyes and yellow hair._

_"Mom?!" I gasp out._

_But she runs into my dad's arms, kissing him softly on the chin. Tears gather at the corners of my eyes as I see the scene unfolding. _

_And I remember when he would come home, and then mom would greet him with a passionate kiss that would be interrupted rather quickly because of a petite, pink-haired girl that craved for some attention. Then, the two couples would laugh it all off and talk about their day happily._

_We were happy, just like mom and dad seem now. And that makes me realize, with a painful bang in my chest, that this is not true. That, apparently, I am still in a dream._

_It has to be a dream. It's...it's too surreal._

_"Sakura!" my head quickly snaps to my dad, trying to figure out what was wrong._

_Wait...is he fading? His arms are fading away and mom-_

_-mom was nowhere to be seen!_

_"Sakura! Look at me! I know this all might seem like a dream, but you can make it a reality! You can control this all! This is your mind and this is what you want. These are your wishes and here you can make them come true! You just have to _believe_."_

_So I try. I try to believe that this is real. That mom was here, along with dad. And they were happy. Very happy._

_I _had _to believe. _

_Little by little, dad's arms reappear again. And suddenly, mom appears out of nowhere too._

_However, this time, she is not alone._

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait... Well I'm not so sure about this chapter. It's nothing like the first two (honestly I don't even know how I wrote the first two like that). Anyway, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to leave a review.


End file.
